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 "That's basketball, that's life," said Gasol, the Grizzlies All-Star
center. "You fall down, you get up and get back at it. It's just
that simple."
Forward Blake Griffin scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds,
leading the Clippers to a 94-92 victory over Memphis at Staples
Center.
Guard J.J. Redick had 16 points as the Clippers (5-2) ended a
two-game skid. Point guard Chris Paul returned after missing
Saturday's loss to the Houston Rockets with a sore right groin, and
he scored 14 points. Center DeAndre Jordan had 13 points, 12
rebounds and four blocks.
Forward Zach Randolph scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds
for Memphis, which dropped its third in a row. Gasol had 18 points,
while point guard Mike Conley added 16 points, five assists and six
rebounds for the Grizzlies (3-5).
"The game was more at our pace," said Gasol, who connected on five
of eight field-goal attempts and eight of 12 free throws. "At the
end, I think we made a couple of mental mistakes defensively."
The Clippers seemed to have the game wrapped up when Redick was
fouled by guard Tony Allen on a 3-point attempt with 13.3 seconds
remaining. Redick made all three attempts, boosting Los Angeles to a
90-86 cushion.
However, Paul fouled former Clippers forward Matt Barnes on a
3-pointer on the following possession. Barnes canned all three foul
shots to pull Memphis within 90-89 with eight seconds remaining.
Guard Jamal Crawford, who finished with 13 points, hit a pair of
free throws with 7.6 seconds left, giving the Clippers a three-point
lead.
Gasol missed one of two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining,
cutting the deficit to 92-90. However, Crawford managed just one of
two on the other end to push the lead to three with 5.9 seconds
remaining.
Gasol made the first of two foul shots with 4.7 seconds left but
missed the second. Gasol then was fouled by Redick with 3.5 seconds
to go, giving him a shot to tie the score. He made the first free
throw but missed the second, allowing the Clippers to prevail. Paul
added a free throw for the final point.
"We were fortunate," Griffin said. "We did not do a good job of
taking care of the lead down the stretch, and we gave them the
opportunity to at least tie the game."
Clippers coach Doc Rivers was pleased his club beat the Grizzlies
playing Memphis' game.
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"I thought we had a chance, though, to get the tempo up a couple of
times, and we just could never get it up," Rivers said. "Once you
get in that type of game, you just have to try and win that game."
A 3-pointer by former Barnes and a follow of a Barnes miss by Conley
gave Memphis a brief 81-80 lead with 4:11 remaining in the game. It
initiated a series of lead changes down the stretch.
Griffin's bucket inside lifted the Clippers to a one-point advantage
50 seconds later.
Allen's layup put Memphis up 85-84 with 1:39 left. A free throw by
Conley made it a two-point lead, but Redick's 3-point jumper gave
the Clippers an 87-86 edge with 55.1 seconds left.
"It's tough. We have to take positive from it," said Randolph, who
hit 12 of 19 shots from the floor and also had three steals. "We
still had a chance to win. We played Grizzlies basketball. I think
if we keep playing like that, we will get back to our old selves and
the way we play."
NOTES: Grizzlies F Matt Barnes, who had eight points and six
rebounds in the loss while facing his former club for the first
time, had bittersweet memories about the Clippers. "It's always
added incentive when you play your former team, (particularly when)
things didn't go how you liked," said Barnes, who added that
Clippers PG Chris Paul and his son attended a birthday party for
Barnes' twin boys on Sunday. ... Just as Grizzlies general manager
Chris Wallace did over the weekend, Memphis coach Dave Joerger
dismissed speculation his job was in jeopardy because of the team's
slow start. "It comes with the territory, but if it was at all true,
it would be one thing,' Joerger said. ... Both clubs resume play
Wednesday. The Grizzlies host the Golden State Warriors, while the
Clippers visit the Dallas Mavericks.
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